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After Saudi Arabia announces end of Yemen airstrikes, Shiite rebels call for mass rally

Associated Press
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A man injured in recent a Saudi-led airstrike lies on a hospital bed to receive treatment, in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, April 21, 2015. The Saudi-led coalition pounded Shiite rebels in Yemen on Tuesday, killing at least 19 in a city in the country's west, officials said. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed) (The Associated Press)

Medics treat an injured man in recent a Saudi-led airstrike lies on a hospital bed to receive treatment, in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, April 21, 2015. The Saudi-led coalition pounded Shiite rebels in Yemen on Tuesday, killing at least 19 in a city in the country's west, officials said. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed) (The Associated Press)

Shiite rebels known as Houthis hold up their weapons as they chant slogans during a protest to denounce the Saudi aggression in Sanaa, Yemen, Wednesday, April 22, 2015. Yemen’s Shiite rebels, who have taken over large parts of the country and have faced a Saudi-led air assault, said Wednesday they welcome United Nations-led talks to find a political solution to the conflict. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed) (The Associated Press)

Yemen's Shiite rebels have called for a massive rally in the capital, Sanaa, to mark the end of the month-long Saudi-led airstrikes campaign.

The rebel-held Al-Masirah TV network urged supporters to take to the streets Wednesday, a day after Saudi Arabia announced an end to its coalition's campaign.

The U.S.-backed airstrikes were launched on March 26 to target the rebels known as Houthis and their allies, and halt their power grab. The Iran-backed rebels have taken Sanaa and much of northern Yemen.

The campaign has claimed hundreds of lives and pushed impoverished Yemen deeper into chaos.

On Tuesday, the kingdom declared an end to the coalition's "Decisive Storm" air campaign against the Houthis and announced the start of a more limited military campaign aimed at preventing the rebels from operating.